thos_huxley
Active member
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2018
- Messages
- 25
Hi.
After an absence of several months, I briefly return to report on my AVR and my experience with rigid sternal fixation. Regarding the latter, please note that my conclusions are solely my own, and are completely anecdotal. My surgery went surprisingly well, and took only three hours to complete. An Edwards Resilia Inspira bioprosthetic was implanted (I'm 68), with the expectation that a TAVR valve-in-valve procedure will be indicated at some later date.
Because I asked for the Sternalock Blu sternal closure, I experienced an uncomplicated recovery. Very few restrictions were imposed on my post-surgery activities. I had quite good and pain-free range-of-movement: I was able to dress and bathe without special instructions (i.e., "keep your move in the tube"), could move my arms around my back freely and could use them to push up from a prone or seated position, and was able to bend over without complication. I was permitted to drive in two weeks, but I waited six. Of course, and as you might expect, coughing and sneezing were painful moments.
When I inquired about rigid fixation here before my surgery, I got an ignorant and impolite response from a well-known individual from Oz. This person appears to think the procedure is a medical oddity, practiced by only a few surgeons (the number 5 was mentioned). If the variety of published studies is any guide, rigid fixation is employed by a large number of surgeons around the world. It is demonstrated to significantly reduce sternal complications and dehisence, as well as the traditional post-operative precautions.
You needn't take my word for it. Below is a selection of research articles that indicate the value and utility of rigid fixation. While my own experience is anecdotaI, I encourage anyone here facing AVR to ask their surgeon about the use of this alternative to wire cerclage. However, in the interest of well-rounded debate, doubters can go here. Make an informed choice.
Goodbye now.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27923485/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29577921/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23103010/https://www.annalscts.com/article/view/16499/html
https://www.criticalcare.theclinics.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0749-0704(20)30045-2https://journals.lww.com/annalsplas...on_for_the_Prevention_and_Treatment_of.8.aspxhttps://www.annalsthoracicsurgery.org/article/S0003-4975(20)31894-4/fulltext#relatedArticleshttps://www.annalsthoracicsurgery.org/action/showPdf?pii=S0003-4975(18)30017-1https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000349751830376X
After an absence of several months, I briefly return to report on my AVR and my experience with rigid sternal fixation. Regarding the latter, please note that my conclusions are solely my own, and are completely anecdotal. My surgery went surprisingly well, and took only three hours to complete. An Edwards Resilia Inspira bioprosthetic was implanted (I'm 68), with the expectation that a TAVR valve-in-valve procedure will be indicated at some later date.
Because I asked for the Sternalock Blu sternal closure, I experienced an uncomplicated recovery. Very few restrictions were imposed on my post-surgery activities. I had quite good and pain-free range-of-movement: I was able to dress and bathe without special instructions (i.e., "keep your move in the tube"), could move my arms around my back freely and could use them to push up from a prone or seated position, and was able to bend over without complication. I was permitted to drive in two weeks, but I waited six. Of course, and as you might expect, coughing and sneezing were painful moments.
When I inquired about rigid fixation here before my surgery, I got an ignorant and impolite response from a well-known individual from Oz. This person appears to think the procedure is a medical oddity, practiced by only a few surgeons (the number 5 was mentioned). If the variety of published studies is any guide, rigid fixation is employed by a large number of surgeons around the world. It is demonstrated to significantly reduce sternal complications and dehisence, as well as the traditional post-operative precautions.
You needn't take my word for it. Below is a selection of research articles that indicate the value and utility of rigid fixation. While my own experience is anecdotaI, I encourage anyone here facing AVR to ask their surgeon about the use of this alternative to wire cerclage. However, in the interest of well-rounded debate, doubters can go here. Make an informed choice.
Goodbye now.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27923485/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29577921/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23103010/https://www.annalscts.com/article/view/16499/html
https://www.criticalcare.theclinics.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0749-0704(20)30045-2https://journals.lww.com/annalsplas...on_for_the_Prevention_and_Treatment_of.8.aspxhttps://www.annalsthoracicsurgery.org/article/S0003-4975(20)31894-4/fulltext#relatedArticleshttps://www.annalsthoracicsurgery.org/action/showPdf?pii=S0003-4975(18)30017-1https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000349751830376X
